56th United States Congress
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| 56th United States Congress | |
 United States Capitol (1906) |
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| Session: | March 4, 1899 – March 4, 1901 |
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| President of the Senate: | Garret Hobart (Mar.-Nov. 1899) |
| President pro tempore of the Senate: | William P. Frye |
| Speaker of the House: | David B. Henderson |
| Members: | 357 Representatives 90 Senators |
| House Majority: | Republican |
| Senate Majority: | Republican |
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The Fifty-sixth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1899 to March 4, 1901, during the last two years of the first administration of U.S. President William McKinley.
The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the Eleventh Census of the United States in 1890. Both chambers had a Republican majority.
[edit] Dates of sessions
- First session: December 4, 1899 - June 7, 1900
- Second session: December 3, 1900 - March 4, 1901 — a lame duck session
Previous congress: 55th Congress
Next congress: 57th Congress
[edit] Major events
- Main article: Events of 1899; Events of 1900; Events of 1901
[edit] Major legislation
- March 14, 1900 - Gold Standard Act, established gold as the standard for redeeming paper money
- April 2, 1900 - Foraker Act established civil government in Puerto Rico; 31 Stat. 77
[edit] Party summary
The count below identifies party affiliations at the beginning of the first session of this Congress, and includes members from vacancies and newly admitted states, when they were first seated. Changes resulting from subsequent replacements are shown below in the "Changes in membership" section.
[edit] Senate
- Democratic: 26
- Republican: 53 (majority)
- Populist: 5
- Silver Republican: 3
- Silver: 2
- vacant: 1
TOTAL members: 90
[edit] House of Representatives
- Democratic: 161
- Republican: 187 (majority)
- Populist: 5
- Silver: 1
- Silver Republican: 2
- Independent Populist: 1
TOTAL members: 357
[edit] Leadership
[edit] Senate
- Vice President of the United States (President of the Senate):
- Garret A. Hobart, Republican of New Jersey, died November 21, 1899, vacant thereafter.
- President pro tempore of the Senate:
- William P. Frye, Republican of Maine, elected December 4, 1899
- Democratic Caucus Chairman:
- Republican Conference Chairman:
[edit] House of Representatives
- Speaker of the House
- David B. Henderson, Republican of Iowa, elected December 4, 1899
- Democratic Caucus Chairman:
- Republican Conference Chairman:
[edit] Members
This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed in order of seniority, and Representatives are listed by district.
- See also: 56th United States Congress - Political Parties
- See also: 56th United States Congress - State Delegations
- See also: United States House election, 1898
[edit] Senate
At this time, Senators were elected by the state legislatures every two years, with one-third beginning new six year terms with each Congress. Preceding the names in the list below are Senate class numbers, which indicate the cycle of their election. In this Congress, Class 1 meant their term began with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1904; Class 2 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1900; and Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1902.
- See also: Category: United States Senators
- See also: Category: United States Congressional Delegations by state
[edit] House of Representatives
The names of members of the House of Representatives elected statewide on the general ticket or otherwise at-large, are preceded by an "A/L," and the names of those elected from districts, whether plural or single member, are preceded by their district numbers.
Many of the congressional district numbers are linked to articles describing the district itself. Since the boundaries of the districts have changed often and substantially, the linked article may only describe the district as it exists today, and not as it was at the time of this Congress.
- See also: Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives
- See also: Category:United States Congressional Delegations by state
[edit] Delegates
- A/L: Robert W. Wilcox (Independent) …new territory, seated December 15, 1900.
- A/L: Pedro Perea (Rep.)
[edit] Changes in membership
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.
[edit] Senate
- replacements: 4
- Democratic: 1 seat gain
- Republican: 1 seat loss
- deaths: 3
- resignations: 1
- vacancy: 5
- interim appointments: 3
- Total seats with changes: 9
[edit] House of Representatives
- replacements: 18
- Democratic: 2 seat loss
- Republican: 2 seat gain
- deaths: 15
- resignations: 8
- contested election: 4
- Total seats with changes: 25
[edit] Officers
[edit] Senate
- Secretary of the Senate:
- William R. Cox of North Carolina, elected April 6, 1893
- Charles G. Bennett of New York, elected February 1, 1900
- Sergeant at Arms of the Senate:
- Chaplain of the Senate
[edit] House of Representatives
- Clerk of the House:
- Alexander McDowell of Pennsylvania, elected December 4, 1899
- Sergeant at Arms of the House:
- Henry Casson of Wisconsin, elected December 4, 1899
- Doorkeeper of the House:
- William J. Glenn of New York, elected December 4, 1899
- Postmaster of the House:
- Joseph McElroy of Ohio, elected December 4, 1899
- Clerk at the Speaker’s Table:
- Chaplain of the House
- The Rev. Henry N. Couden ’’Universalist’’, elected December 4, 1899
[edit] Other
- Architect of the Capitol:
- Edward Clark, appointed August 30, 1865
[edit] References
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
[edit] External links
- Statutes at Large, 1789-1875 [1]
- Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress [2]
- U.S. House of Representatives: Congressional History [3]
- U.S. Senate: Statistics and Lists [4]
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